Cycling from Land's
End to John o'Groat's isn't everyone's idea of fun. But when Rob
Green cycled the three-week 'Great British Bike Ride' (1981),
it became a major turning point in his life. A committed environmentalist
and, at that time, an energy conservation campaigner for Friends
of the Earth, Rob had cycled a lot on his own, but this was his
first experience of the pleasures of pedalling with a sociable
group of people. And he was so inspired by his journey that it
drove him to set up a small business of his own – Bicycle
Beano – offering 'non-macho' vegetarian cycling holidays
in the Welsh countryside.
MAKING FRIENDS
“Cycling is a very sociable activity and tends to bring out
the best in people,” he says. “And I wanted to set up
a holiday where between 25 and 30 people could get together and
enjoy a weekend or a week's cycling.”
Rob's first venture began in 1982 as a cycling and camping expedition
in the Wye Valley. Now, Bicycle Beano (which Rob set up with partner
Jane Barnes) has grown to the point where it offers a choice of
week-long holidays and weekend breaks each year.
People of all ages and cycling abilities come on the holidays,
which offer carefully planned routes riding through some of the
most beautiful landscapes in Wales and the Welsh border territory.
As author of an Ordnance Survey cycle tours book, Rob is an accomplished
map reader and expert at creating rides that are truly off the
beaten track.
Riding a bike through exquisite landscapes is also an ideal
opportunity to chat and make new friends. Beano-goers range from
babies to seventy somethings – with quite a few in the 20-45
age range. Alex Buck, 30, has been on three Bicycle Beanos –
twice on her own and once with two friends. “It's a great
way to meet people,” she says. “People who go on these
holidays tend to be like-minded and kindred spirits.”
BEDDING DOWN
The accommodation is comfortable rather than luxurious, and ranges
from crumbling stately homes to a cosy village pub. Each holiday
is based at a single venue and rides are organised from the venue
daily.
For food lovers, seeing the countryside from a saddle gives
lots of opportunity for stops for sustenance. There's always a
stop for a pub lunch, along with visits to local tea shops. And,
after a relaxing day pedalling through the lanes, Rob and Jane's
guests can tuck into a delicious vegetarian meal.
Not that the holidays are exclusively for vegetarians. “I've
been a veggie since 1976, but we're not hard-liners”, says
Rob. “We didn't set up Bicycle Beano as a 'campaign', but
if people return home more aware of the health and environmental
benefits of sensible eating and cycling, that's fine by us.”
GOOD REPORTS
Nigel Robinson is a 43-year-old Brighton property manager and
Bicycle Beano veteran now planning his seventh holiday in the
saddle. Part of the holiday's appeal, he explains, is the way
meat eaters are made to feel as welcome as veggies. He usually
eats a lot of vegetarian food but enjoys meat as well. “Nobody
will stand up and give a lecture on why you should become a vegetarian”,
he explains. “I think a lot of people go on a Bicycle Beano
because they enjoy cycling and think they can put up with veggie
food for a week, but this sort of holiday really opens their eyes
to just how good vegetarian food can be.”
There's no need to be a fitness freak
to enjoy a Beano holiday. Simply enjoy the good food, conversation
and countryside.
“The food is excellent. It's always interesting and varied,
something different every day, and there's always plenty of it.
My only complaint was the first time I went I expected to get
fit and lose some weight. I got fit but came back heavier than
when I left! Cycling every day lulls you into thinking you
can have another portion without it showing!”
If you're not vegetarian, you can always opt for meat at the
pub lunch, although breakfasts and dinners are all veggie. The
menu might include veggie shepherd's pie served with roast potatoes,
red cabbage and a salad. And, whenever possible, organic produce
is used. On the West Coast Beano, for example, guests stay at
Pen Rhiw, a Victorian house with a walled organic garden growing
produce that helps satisfy cyclists' appetites throughout the
week. Tea and cakes are served on returning to your holiday base.
“The cakes alone are worth going for!” says Frank
Flood, a 37-year-old teacher who lives in Brighton.
TYRED OUT
So what does a typical day out cycling involve? If you're
worried about keeping up with the next cyclist – there's
no need. Bicycle Beano holidays are strictly non-competitive and
not for budding Tour de France cyclists. On most holidays you
can expect a leisurely 35-mile daily cycle following routes designed
to accommodate riders at different fitness levels. Rob's routes
are carefully worked out to include short cuts and longer detours.
Each person decides how much leg work they want to put in.
“Anybody who's capable of balancing on a bike and going
for a 10-mile ride won't feel out of his or her depth,” says
Frank. “The majority of riders nearly always get off their
bikes and walk up the hills.”
Rob and Jane are also keen to emphasise that journeys are planned
with an eye for the scenery (both are painters) so it would be
a shame to miss it by putting your head down and sprinting for
the pub. “We don't just take our guests to the best views,
we make sure they see them at the best time of day, and from the
best direction,” says Jane, whose artwork is featured on
Bicycle Beano brochures.
And if you don't feel like cycling one day and want to stay
indoors or explore the local history under your own steam, there's
nothing to stop you. “I won't ride every day,” says
Nigel's partner Sally Hutchinson. “I just spend the day relaxing
and enjoying myself. No one ostracises you if you don't want to
go on every ride.”
All in all, it's the sort of holiday where anyone can feel at
home. “People simply take you for what you are” says
Nigel, and to prove it around two thirds of people come back for
more.
© Words: Steve Clarke, BBC
Vegetarian Good Food magazine, July 1996 (now incorporated into
BBC Good Food magazine).
© Photos (not from the article): Jim Travisano, Steve Smith,
Bruce Johnson, Bicycle Beano, Fredric Bender. |
